Prevalance of Tehungaism.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7933, 23 September 1905, Page 3

Prevalance of Tehungaism.

SIR UEIUUES IKGES SITI'HESSIOS. The Native Minister, on being asked in the House of llcprcseiitatives on Wednesday,, by Mr llurrres. whethir the Government intended to take any steps to suppress tohungas, replied tbnt "wfcatcver the law permits to be done is twins done." Mr Ilcrries saiil it was very gratifying to find that ihe C.overnnieiit was complying with ihe law-, but he thought Ihe matter was one which deserved more consideration. One couM hardly pick up a newspaper without reading irf the practices ci these tubungas, and ,\et the Government did nothing. Mr Carroll : Several cases have cowe -before the court.

Mr Ilerries said that last ,\ear lir. I'omare Itad called the attention of the (■oveximjent to the hann which was being done by thetolMnigvis.lt had even been disccvered that thire was a by-law approved by the Native Minister, which actually provided for licenses lieing issotd lir thi-se quack doetors. Several of their subsidised medical men had toW them that ttoeir ministrations amongst the natives had bV-eri rendered of iff avail owing to the influence of the. tohungas, which was ruinous to the moral fibre, as well as to the physical welfare of the natives. Mr Carroll : There ore a lot of pakeha tohungas. Mr Herrivs : Well, they should be J suppressed too. Mr Carroll said there was a great | difficulty in tAiireJngthese tohungos within the scope of the law, but several cases had been brought before the Court, and where a transgression of t*o law had been proved the offenders had been dealt with accordingly. rPhc tendency <t 'he ape svenud to be to play on tin- credulity o( the human miud as much as possible, and as show-in,; that these practices were prevalent amongst the pakehas. he referred to the recently publish.il revelations of the proceedings in connection with the " Abode of Love"- in England. There was, therefore, just as much room for reform in this matter amongst Europeans as amongst natives— >'-# Herald. ___^ — __